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Committee Evidence - HESA-21

2021-02-26

Ron McKinnon - 13:47

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:47

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here.

Mr. Scott-Douglas, last week you appeared at the industry committee, where you said the following:

We looked at all the other task forces, including Warp Speed. What Canada is doing is largely equivalent to what everybody else is doing. There's a great deal of confidential business information, and that necessitates that meetings be held in confidence, the same as almost every other task force.

Of course, the difference is that the U.S. vaccines and related biological products advisory committee does publish its agenda and its conclusions. Its entire meetings are webcast on YouTube for anyone to see. Why can the U.S. be transparent and Canada can't?

Roger Scott-Douglas - 13:48

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:49

Okay. Got it.

The federal vaccine task force has a declaration of interest protocol, which requires all members to give a full disclosure of activities and interests that could place them in a potential conflict of interest to the federal government. Is there a reason why those members' disclosures have not been made public?

Roger Scott-Douglas - 13:49

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:50

Okay.

Dr. Langley, drawing on the advice of the vaccine task force last September, the federal government pre-ordered 72 million doses of the vaccine candidate developed jointly by GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi. It's Canada's second-largest vaccine supply agreement.

I think you currently hold the $700,000 CIHR-GlaxoSmithKline chair in pediatric vaccinology at Dalhousie University. I believe you have worked with Sanofi on research and as a consultant in the past. By standard conflict measures, was it appropriate for you to not recuse yourself from discussions relating to the GSK-Sanofi vaccine candidate?

Joanne Langley - 13:51

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:51

With respect, Dr. Langley, I don't need to understand how it works. I do understand. I'm asking if you think it was appropriate not to recuse yourself given the clear link, financially, between GlaxoSmithKline and the position that you hold.

Joanne Langley - 13:52

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:52

That's fine. I'll control the questioning here, if I can.

Dr. Nickerson, South Africa and India have put forward a proposal at the WTO to exempt member countries from enforcing patents, trade secrets and pharmaceutical monopolies under the organization's agreement on trade-related intellectual property rights, know as TRIPS. Of course, the aim of that is to ensure that vaccines and other technologies needed to control COVID-19 are available universally across the globe.

What position is the Government of Canada taking on that position? In your view, what should Canada's position be?

Jason Nickerson - 13:52

Ron McKinnon - 13:53

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:53

Thank you.

Ron McKinnon - 13:53

Ron McKinnon - 13:58

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:58

Thank you.

Dr. Langley, you and your colleagues got help and are registered as principal investigators on the phase three trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by CanSino Biologics. We know that's the partnership with the NRC that collapsed this summer.

Did you recuse yourself from the vaccine task force's deliberations on the CanSino vaccine?

Joanne Langley - 13:58

Roger Scott-Douglas - 13:58

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:59

I'm just asking if you recused yourself. That's all.

Roger Scott-Douglas - 13:59

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:59

I'm sorry, I have limited time. I'm asking about your recusing yourself. Excuse me, sir, but you're not answering the question.

Roger Scott-Douglas - 13:59

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 13:59

The reason I ask is that Dr. Kobinger said he voiced very strong concerns despite the fact that this was officially the first recommendation of the committee, but they had never really discussed the CanSino recommendations. We didn't know how it was made is the first recommendation.

Can you explain why a recommendation of CanSino was the vaccine task force's first priority?

Roger Scott-Douglas - 13:59

Ron McKinnon - 14:00

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 14:00

Thank you.

Chris d'Entremont - 14:00

Ron McKinnon - 14:50

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 14:50

The Prime Minister has repeatedly and publicly said that all Canadians who want a vaccine will get one by September. I noticed that you, today, said by late September. Why the shift in dates?

Dany Fortin - 14:50

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 14:51

Okay. Thank you.

The U.S. is currently administering 1.45 million doses per day on average, and they plan to ramp up to a capacity of three million per day by April—

Ron McKinnon - 14:51

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 14:51

Sorry.

The U.S. is currently administering 1.45 million doses per day on average, and they plan to ramp up to a capacity of three million per day by April. In contrast, Canada has only administered a total of approximately 1.7 million doses to date.

General Fortin, what is the maximum number of doses per day that Canada is currently capable of administering?

Dany Fortin - 14:51

NDP (BC)

Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

2021-02-26 14:52

So as a—

Ron McKinnon - 14:52

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